In This Issue
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RenewablesThe Eiffel Tower Now Houses Wind Power Generation
When it was erected in 1889 (seven years after POWER magazine was founded), the iconic iron-lattice Eiffel Tower was meant to serve as the entrance arch of the World’s Fair—and designed to stand only 20 years, about the lifetime of a wind tower. Some 126 years and several renovations later, the Paris landmark has evolved […]
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O&MBest Practices for Maximizing Condenser Efficiency
Sometimes overlooked and underappreciated, a power plant condenser can make or break your efficiency and power delivery goals. Understanding how important a role your condenser plays is a good step toward greater heat rate awareness. As part of a university class on power generation systems that I teach, I show my students a Sankey diagram […]
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Business
POWER Digest
NRC Advances Design Certification of Westinghouse SMR, South Korea’s APR1400. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) on Feb. 27 approved Westinghouse Electric Co.’s testing approach for its small modular reactor (SMR) design—a “significant” step that the Toshiba Corp. company said will reduce the time ultimately needed to obtain design certification. By granting a safety evaluation report […]
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CoalCCS Development, the Key to Coal Power’s Future, Is Slow
Advocates for the continued reliance on coal for baseload electricity cheered late last year when North America’s largest power-related carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) facility was commissioned. Since then, that pool of advocates is evaporating as prominent electricity industry decision-makers publicly distance themselves from coal and champion alternatives for a low- or no-carbon future. If […]
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Renewables
Egypt Moves to Boost Gas and Wind Generation
The Egypt Economic Development Conference (EEDC) in Sharm El-Sheikh resulted in some big agreements for the Egyptian government, including a reported $10.5 billion deal with Siemens and a $1.7 billion order with GE. The conference was held March 13–15, 2015, and was touted as a key milestone of the government’s medium-term economic development plan, which […]
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RenewablesSolar Gardens: A Fast-Growing Approach to Photovoltaic Power
How to give electricity customers who can’t take advantage of rooftop solar access to the sun? Community solar—a shared resource—is a fast-growing segment of the renewable energy market, making solar photovoltaic power more accessible while offering another approach to distributed generation. Mention “solar energy” and the image that probably comes to mind is an array […]
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RenewablesUK Mulls Massive Tidal Lagoon Power Project
In the UK, which has the world’s largest offshore wind capacity, in large part due to government backing, formal negotiations have begun on public funding of a £1 billion ($1.48 billion) tidal lagoon project to produce electricity from turbines in Swansea Bay, South Wales. The 320-MW project (Figure 3)—which could be the first of its […]
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GasGE’s New HA Turbines Nearing Delivery
General Electric’s (GE’s) new flagship HA turbines, which will be the largest and most efficient in their class when deployed, will see their first delivery at EDF’s Bouchain combined cycle plant in France this summer. The first U.S. order is from Exelon for four 7HA turbines intended for expansions at the Wolf Hollow and Colorado […]
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CoalExperts: Gas Could Challenge Coal in Asian Power Mix
Coal has dominated fuel choices in Asia since 2010, even in gas-centric Southeast Asian countries, and many forecasts assume that coal will remain the region’s most economical option. But lower natural gas prices and individual market conditions are putting a dent in coal’s future in the region, some experts note. According to Graham Tyler, Wood […]
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O&MInnovative Wind Turbine Blade Inspection and Maintenance Tools
The life of a wind turbine can be pretty precarious. The blades—made of laminated materials, such as composites, balsa wood, carbon fiber, and fiberglass—can reach speeds up to 180 miles per hour at the tip, which means even small particles in the air can cause damage to the surfaces. It’s probably no surprise that lightning […]
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Commentary
Texas Reliably Integrates Growing Wind Resource
If you have been paying attention to renewable energy growth in the U.S. during the past decade, you likely know that Texas leads the nation in wind power development. In fact, the portion of the state that is served by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT)—about 75% of land area and about 90% of […]
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Commentary
Clean Air Act Section 111(d): The Case for Multi-State Compliance
This summer, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will finalize its Clean Power Plan under Section 111(d) of the Clean Air Act, requiring existing fossil fuel–fired electric generating units (EGUs) to cut carbon dioxide emissions to 30% below 2005 levels by 2030. The rule will require states to meet specific reduction goals and also allow states […]
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Energy StorageBatteries Are Carving Out Space on the Grid
Falling prices and technological improvements have brought battery storage systems into direct competition with traditional distributed generation, demand response, and peaking generation resources. But making one work efficiently and profitably is not just plug and play. Last fall, Southern California Edison (SCE) had some big decisions to make. The giant utility, which serves 14 […]
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Distributed EnergyDistributed Power’s Rising Importance for U.S. Electrical Infrastructure
Renewable generation may be the most talked-about form of distributed power these days. However, historically, engine- and turbine-based smaller-scale generation—strategically located where needed by loads or for grid support—has supplied valuable distributed power. For many reasons, the roles for distributed power provided by rotating and reciprocating equipment continue to increase. The U.S. utility industry is […]
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Commentary
The Power Industry’s Spring Fever
As I write this column at the beginning of spring, I have two kinds of spring fever: excitement about warming temperatures that bring spring flowers and the “hay fever” caused by tree pollens. I have mixed feelings about spring. I mention this only because the power industry is experiencing a spring fever of its own. […]
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Legal & Regulatory
New York’s Reforming the Energy Vision
The digital economy has changed the way we shop for clothing, travel, communicate with friends and family, consume news, and watch television—among so many other things. But the innovative potential of the digital economy has not yet found a place within the electric system. With that important goal in mind, New York has embarked on […]
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T&DMHI Demonstrates Wireless Power Transmission
The wireless transmission of power by microwave over long distances is viable, Japanese technology firm Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) has proved in a recent ground demonstration test. The company has been developing the new technology for use in space solar power systems (SSPS)—which it says will be “the power generation systems of the future.” As […]
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O&MUnderground Piping: Out of Sight, Out of Mind, Until It Leaks
When many older plants were built, steel and cast iron piping were common materials used underground. Although these materials have proven to have long, useful lives, improvements in plastics offer additional alternatives today. An understanding of best practices for inspecting and servicing buried piping will help you keep systems operating as designed. Most, if not […]
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RenewablesKenya Banks on Geothermal for Majority of Its Power
After adding a 280-MW geothermal power complex to its grid last year, Kenya is producing most of its power from geothermal sources, says the state-owned Kenya Electricity Generating Co. (KenGen). This February, the East African country formally inaugurated the last phase of the Olkaria geothermal power complex, which comprised the 140-MW Olkaria IV plant and […]
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WaterALLETE’s Latest Transition Acknowledges the Water-Energy Nexus
ALLETE Inc., a Minnesota holding company known mostly for its Minnesota Power subsidiary, is making a major strategic transition into the broader world of energy services, exemplified by its recent purchase of U.S. Water Services. At the same time, Minnesota Power, which previously transitioned from hydro to coal, now is shifting to a portfolio of […]
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Renewables
Nordlink HVDC Project Awards Construction Contract
Europe—and especially Germany—has been struggling with how best to integrate large amounts of renewable generation while maintaining grid stability. While considerable attention has been devoted to expanding national transmission systems, new links between those national grids are growing in importance. The biggest project so far took a step forward when, on March 19, the consortium […]
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CoalThe Carbon Capture and Storage R&D Frontier
Given the costs and other concerns about currently available technologies for capturing and storing carbon dioxide from fossil-fueled power plants, interest in new technologies remains high. Here’s a look at some potentially promising approaches that are advancing the technology frontier. Frontiers represent the boundary between the known and the unknown. As researchers attempt to push […]
